JOB SUMMARY Under supervision of Department of Surgery clinic management guided by policies and procedures of the Ambulatory Services, and in collaboration with the Clinical Nursing Staff, the Hospital Assistant III assists in the delivery of care to patients in the Department of Surgery ambulatory group practices and functions as the contact for new and returning Surgery patients requiring ambulatory care at UCSF Medical Center.
Work includes a variety of personal care and clinical procedures including rooming patients, taking vital signs, performing blood pressure checks, conducting medication reconciliation, ordering and stocking medical supplies and monitoring patient flow. S/he will perform assigned patient care and laboratory procedures in support of the specialty care services provided to patients within the practices. S/he is required to learn and be able to assist in the Department of Surgery.
S/he is required to adhere to the Telephone and House Standards as adopted by the Medical Center. The Hospital Assistant III is required to work at any UCSF campus as needed and scheduled. REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS Supervises no staff DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Percentage of Time Spent Clinical 60% Performs routine clinical functions and documents in patient chart, including but not limited to vital signs, height, weight, pain screening and documentation of chief complaints.
Documents use of interpreter as appropriate. Work with interpreting services to facilitate interpreter participation for medical appointments in person, by phone, or by video (if available). Acts as chaperone for patient during examination with medical provider as needed.
Works as an internal float for department as requested by supervisor. Transports patients as directed and ensures their safety. Monitors patient flow in and out of the clinic.
Obtains specimens and performs simple Point of Care Testing as directed. Including QA/QC and EKGs. Obtains specimens and performs simple laboratory procedures conforming to all policies and procedures related to specimen handling and processing.
Participates in updating mandatory logs (i.e., temperature log, disaster cabinet log, crash cart log). Facilitates referrals to other providers as ordered by the physician. Obtains authorizations from insurers for medications.
Performs clinical activities in an accurate and timely manner. Assists physician staff in writing and sending out patient communications. Complies with all Ambulatory Services and Medical Center policies and procedures for infection control, safety, administrative and clinical practice.
Complies with activities mandated by JCAHO/Title 22. Ensures all medication cabinets remain locked at all times. Communication 15% Demonstrates courtesy, common sense and follow through in all telephone communications, maintaining the Medical Center Telephone Standards.
Ensures a professional and helpful working environment by upholding the House Standards as adopted by the MedicalCenter. Notifies providers of patient delays and service issues. Acts as an advocate for patients by helping to facilitate provider punctuality to maintain optimal clinic schedules.
Communicates provider delays to front office team and makes regular announcements to patients in waiting room or exam room as needed when delays are over 30 minutes. Shares pertinent information and observations with other health team members. Identifies and communicates problems to the nursing staff or appropriate supervisor.
Offers suggestions for change or improvement in clinic/practice operations. Assists patients with issues and complaints utilizing conflict management skills Utilizes Electronic Health Record (APEX) for documentation within the scope of practice of a Hospital Assistant which may include but not limited to: Documentation of vital signs, height, weight and pain scale. Enter patient chief complaint and history (i.e. tobacco/family hx/ med/surg/social).
Enter patient reported medications and allergies. Order & sign POCT with signed protocol. Documentation of point of care test results.
Enter & “pend” scripted orders from provider. Open a Medication Refill Encounter for provider. Scheduling laboratory, radiology and other testing with a written order from a provider.
Open telephone encounters. Open staff messages. . Operations Maintenance 15% Maintains clean, well-stocked exam rooms, hub rooms and lab.
Responsible for ordering and maintaining supplies, maintenance of lab equipment. As requested, reviews Lab log of results and prints results for providers. Obtains insurance authorizations for medications, procedures and film or slide review authorizations.
Schedules complex procedures and coordinates services for patients. Coordinates meal and rest periods with other Hospital Assistants and ensures coverage of clinic under direction of supervisor/manager. 6. Maintains supply standards as directed by nursing staff or appropriate supervisor. 7.
Adheres to infection control procedures as outlined in the Infection Control Manual. Adheres to the Ambulatory Services policy and procedures for the cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing of equipment. Participates in various QI and Customer Service initiatives such as wait time studies, outcome data collection from procedures, etc.
Practice Coordination 10% Understands the distinction of each medical practice and how care is delivered in each setting. Coordinates appointments with multiple providers as required. Discusses practice policies and procedures with patients and referring physicians.
Maintains and adheres to patient confidentiality and HIPAA guidelines including the distribution of NOPPs (Notice of Privacy Practices). Collects and verifies insurance and referral/authorization information. Enters data into the APEX system appropriately.
Communicates Medical Center administrative and financial policies clearly to patients, answering simple patient account questions and knowing when to refer patients to financial counseling, billing agents, patient relations or other support departments for additional help. Obtains and documents insurance authorizations; extracts clinical data from medical records, presents the authorization requests and answers insurance inquiries.
Contributes to the development of procedures for all of these processes. Utilizes and masters a variety of information technology systems in support of all aspects of patient processing, including but not limited to, APEX, Front Desk (cash/copayment collection), MSP on-line (Medicare Secondary Payor survey), etc. OTHER FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Performs any other duties related to patient care activities as required.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED Certification from an approved Medical Assistant program; or equivalent combination of training and experience. One year of experience as a Medical Assistant/Hospital Assistant in a Surgical practice. Knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.
Current American Heart Association CPR Certification. PREFERRED EPIC Experience Knowledge of medical terminology. Proficiency in operating the MS Windows environment including Outlook, Word, and Excel.
Excellent customer services skills; ability to communicate effectively in person and over the telephone. Excellent written and oral English skills; Ability to do basic mathematic calculations. Ability to work in a dynamic environment with frequent addition of high priority tasks and regular changes to daily assignments; Ability to prioritize duties.
Ability to learn new systems and computer applications. Ability to conduct oneself with professionalism under stressful situations dealing with distraught or upset patients and/or families. Demonstrated ability to present to work on time and maintain minimal absenteeism.
REQUIRED LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS Current American Heart Association CPR Certification POPULATIONS SERVED Populations served: Adult, Geriatric
Day shift